Car coupling



Jan. 17, 1928. 1,656,463

' J. ANDREWS CAR COUPLING Fil ed Dec. 15, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l I Ma}gwuentoz Jan; 17, 1928.

1,656,463 J. ANDREWS CAR COUPLING Filed Dec. 13, 1924 2 Sheets-Shea '2 lI I I v y I I zfd' I v w" fi w aka-am Patented Jan. 17, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN ANDREWS. OF NOKOMIS, ILLINOIS.

. can COUPLING.

Application filed December 13, 1924. Serial No. 755,753.

The present inventioi'i relates to car couplings and has for its primeobject to provide an improved structure whereby the coupling members maybe engaged with each other or disengaged from each other without thecombination and arrangement ofparts as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure l is an enlarged side elevation of the coupling mechanism,

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof with the covers removed, 7 it Figure3 is a longitudinal vertical section therethrough,

Figure 4 is an enlarged section taken sub stantially on the line 4-4 ofFigure 2 looking-to the left, V

Figure 5 is a horizontal section through the member shown in Figure 4,

gigure 6 is a vertical section therethrough, an

Figure 7 is a detail perspective View showing the bolt.

Referring to the drawing in detail it will be seen that A designates thecoupling member on one car andB the coupling member on the other car;The member A includes a housing 5 with the detachable cover 6. Acompartment 7 is formed in the housing 5 and a spring 8 is mountedtherein one end of whichisconnected with a grooved head 9. The sides ofthe compartment 7 are provided with elongated slots 10. A link 11'position and engaged by the coupling member B when the cars are to becoupled, I provide a crank shaft 14 extending transversely of one end ofthe car to whi'h the coupling A is attached. This crank shaft 14 isjournaled as at 15 and includes the intermediate crank 16 and the endcranks 17. The cranks 17 are used to operate the crank shaft while thecrank 16 is used to engage the link 13 for holding it in a substantiallyhorizontal position for engagement by the coupling member B. A collar 18is at tachcd at each end of the (rank shaft 14 by means of a set screw19 or the like and a dog or pawl 20is pivoted on each side of the car.for engaging notches in the collar whereby the crank shaft may be heldin such a position that the intermediate crank 16 will sustain the link13 in its engaging or horizontal position thus relieving the operator ofthe necessity of holding on to one of the end cranks .17 as the cars arebeing coupled. The coupling member A acts as a buffer because of thespring 8 as the cars are started and allows the desired slow take up.

The coupling member B is constructed with a housing 22 having aremovable cover 24. The side walls of the housing 23 are provided withvertically extending grooves 25 while the bottom wall is provided uponits inner face with a U-shaped raised rib 26, having the transverselyextending bars 26 and 26 connecting between the legs of the rib andforming the pockets 26 and 26. A keeper is provided which constitutes anupstanding body 27 having a beveled front face 28 which is directedtoward the open ing 29 and on its bottom the body is provided withatransverse notch 30 for receiving the inner cross bar 26, the lower partof the keeper feeding in the pockets 26 and 26. On the upper side thekeeper is provided with a projection 31 to be received in a groove 25.It will thus be seen that when the link 13 is substantially horizontallydisposed it will be guided by the floatingsurface 33 of the bottom ofthe housing 23 to engage the beveled edge 28 of the bolt thereby liftingthe bolt oif of its seat or the bottom of the casing and to pass by thebolt after which the bolt will fall to the position shown in Figure 5thus locking the link in engagement with the coupling member B. A pin 85extends transversel of the housing 23 and arm 36 is rotatab y engagedtherewith at one end and fixed to the upper surface of the bolt 2-3 asat 3T. Compartments 38 are built on the sides of the housing 23 andcranks 39 extend thereinto so that one arm thereof as at 40 is movabletherein, the other arm i1 being disposed alongside of the car. Ofcourse, there is one of these cranks 39 for each compartment 38. Thisallows the release of the bolt to either side of the car as will beeviiilent as the description progrosses farther. A crank-shaft .1 2 isjournaled in the upper edge of the housing and includes theintei'i'nediale shaft 4-5 which is engageable under the arm 36 and theend arms or cran :3 it which are actuatable by the arms 40 of the cranks39" It will be apparent from the foregoing that I have devised a novelconstruction of car coupling apparatus, which will be strong, durable,and effective under all conditions and which isrnot liable to readilyget out of order. It will a so be apparentthat the novel construction ofthe coupling apparatus allows it to be operated from the sides of thecars and eliminates the necessity of a man going between the cars whencoupling or uncoupling the same. This coupling apparatus embodies thefeatures of advantage enumerated as desirable in the state ment of theinvention and the above description, and while I have in the presentinstance shown and described a preferred vembodiment of it which givesin practice satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understoodthat the same is susceptible of modification in various particularswithout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention ashereinafter claimed or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is:

1. A car coupling unit of the character described designed to receive acoupling link of an adjacent car, comprising a housing having a bottomand side walls and'a' forwardly opening portion, said bottom having acentrally arranged raised portion having a depression in the topthereof, a vertically shiftablc k eper body slidably mounted betweensaid side walls and adapted to locate in said depression when in activeposition, said keeper body having the lower portion of the forward facethereof rearwardly inclined, and means to guide said link member oversaid raised portion when the link is pressed against said inclined faceto lift the keeper member from its seat, to permit said link to bepositioned for the extension of the keeper thercthrough.

2. A car coupling unit of thecharacter described designed to cooperatewith a coupling link of an adjacent car, comprising a housing bodyincluding a bottomrwall and spaced vertical side walls, said bottom wallhaving the forwardportion inclined upwardly and inwardly, asubstantially U saaped forwardly directed rib formed upon the top ofsaid bottom wall, having upstandting bars connected across the legsthereof to set up pocket seats, a vertically shiftable keeper bodydesigned to seat in said pocket and having a lower recess adapted toengage over said rib, said keeper body having the forward face inclineddownwardly and in wardly through the link acting to raise said keeperfrom its seat by pressing against said inclined face and passingbeneath'the keeper upon said U-shaped rib, and oscillatory means forraising said keeper to release the link.

In testimony whereof'I afiix my signature.

JOHN ANDREWS.

